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You probably know something about how life insurance should work. A policyholder purchases a life insurance policy to ensure that their dependents are taken care of in the event of their death. If a policyholder dies within the policy term, their beneficiary or beneficiaries receive a payout.

Unfortunately, it is not always that simple. Life insurance companies don’t make filing a claim easy for beneficiaries, and many beneficiaries find the process confusing. Even worse, if a beneficiary figures out how to file their claim, they are then told that their claim is denied.

Valid life insurance claims are often initially denied but then pay out when the beneficiary fights back. Our Oklahoma life insurance lawyers have decades of experience helping life insurance beneficiaries get their claims paid. We will help you fight back and get the payout your loved one intended you receive.

Boonswang’s Oklahoma Life Insurance Lawyers have represented Clients in these Cities and their Surrounding Areas:

Contact Boonswang Law to Talk with an Oklahoma Life Insurance Lawyer About How to Get Your Life Insurance Claim Paid, Free of Charge!

The Most Common Reasons Life Insurance Claims are Denied in OK

Like any other type of for-profit business, insurance companies are concerned with their bottom line, and they only make money when they collect premiums and deny or delay payouts. For this reason It is rarely a straightforward matter for a life insurance beneficiary to get their payout. 

Life insurance companies frequently try to use these four reasons, among others, to deny valid life insurance claims in Oklahoma:

Policyholder Misrepresentation

When applying for life insurance, a policyholder is required to disclose all personal information, including health history, medical conditions, age, surgeries, occupation, home address, current medications, and lifestyle habits. Life insurance adjusters use this information to calculate the risk that the policyholder will die within the policy term and they will have to pay out. Those at higher risk of dying within the policy term pay higher premiums than those at less risk.

If a policyholder makes a mistake or omits information and then dies within the policy term, the life insurance company will likely retroactively cancel the policy, claiming that the policyholder misrepresented themselves to get a lower premium payment. They will then deny beneficiaries’ claims. 

Boonswang Law has decades of experience with types of cases and can help you if the life insurance company denies your claim for this reason. Call us to discuss your case, free of charge.

Call Boonswang Law Today and Talk With Oklahoma Life Insurance Lawyer Who Can Help You With Your Claim

Boonswang Law is here to help you during this difficult time. Put our decades of experience to work for you and call us for your free, no-obligation consultation at (855) 865-4335. We are here to fight for you!

The Life Insurance Company Misinterprets the Terms of the Policy

Over our decades of representing life insurance beneficiaries in Oklahoma, we have found that life insurance companies will misinterpret a policy’s terms and provisions in an attempt to deny an otherwise valid life insurance claim. 

If you think this is happening to you, hire our Oklahoma life insurance lawyers to fight back. We have frequently gotten our beneficiary clients paid after their claim was initially denied.

Policyholder’s Cause of Death Allegedly Excluded from Coverage

All life insurance policies include a  list of causes of death that are excluded from coverage, called “exclusions.” 

Death as a result of self-inflicted injuries is frequently excluded from coverage, as is death from acts of war or terrorism. However, we have found that life insurance companies will attempt to wrongfully classify someone’s death so that they can deny the beneficiary’s claim due to an exclusion. In these cases, we thoroughly investigate the cause of death and if we can prove the death was not excluded, we can get our beneficiary clients paid.

Lapsed Policy for Nonpayment

Policyholders must pay premiums in full as they come due in order to maintain coverage. If premiums are not paid for any reason, this will cause coverage to lapse, resulting in the subsequent claims of beneficiaries being denied. 

Frequently, a denial for lapse is not the end of the story. Life insurance lapse and termination is highly regulated under state or federal law, depending upon the type of policy. If the life insurance company or the employer administering the policy failed to adhere to the applicable regulations, it may not be the fault of the policyholder that premium payments were not made. In these cases we can often get our beneficiary clients paid.

Call us if you are the beneficiary of a lapsed life insurance policy in Oklahoma. We may be able to help you.

What You Can Rely Upon Boonswang Law’s Oklahoma Life Insurance Lawyers to Do For You

It is very likely that you have never worked with a life insurance lawyer before, and you may have no idea what to expect. You may not even be convinced that you need a life insurance lawyer to help you with your claim. Rather than struggle to handle your claim on your own, experience these benefits, among others, when you work with Boonswang Law: 

 

  • We review the applicable policy and explain coverage and exclusions to you
  • We review all correspondence from the life insurance company, including denial letters 
  • We investigate the allegations made by the life insurance company in their attempt to deny your claim
  • We negotiate with the life insurance company’s team of lawyers to get you paid
  • We vigorously litigate your claim in court if the life insurance company won’t pay

Oklahoma Life Insurance Claims FAQ

Will My Claim Be Denied if the Life Insurance Policy Lapsed?

Probably. The life insurance company will not look beyond the lapse for evidence that it was not the policyholder’s fault the policy lapsed. But we can do that for you.

In cases where the lapse was not the fault of the policyholder, we have been able to get our beneficiary clients paid. These cases include when the policyholder should have received a disability waiver of premium, but did not; when the policyholder’s employer failed to issued conversion papers to the policyholder or otherwise mis-administered the group policy; when the employer or the life insurance company cannot prove that they sent the notice of lapse that is legally required to the policyholder.

If you are a beneficiary of a lapsed life insurance policy, the OK life insurance lawyers at Boonswang Law can investigate and find out whether you can get your payout after all.

A national list or database that includes every person who has purchased a life insurance policy does not exist, so you will have to investigate on your own. 

You might try contacting their employer to ask if they offered group life insurance coverage as a benefit of working there. Also, look through the desk and file cabinets in search of life insurance paperwork, and review bank statements to locate evidence of paid insurance premiums.

Yes!! There is no law, regulation, or rule that prevents you from sharing the death benefit with whomever you choose, including your siblings.

Policyholders often list only one of their children as a beneficiary on their life insurance policy, with the expectation that they share the death benefit with their siblings. Although a beneficiary cannot add their siblings to the policy after the policyholder’s death, there’s nothing stopping them from sharing their benefits once the benefits pay out.

You can dispute or contest the denial. 

When you received the denial letter you should have also received documents explaining the process of appealing a claim denial in Oklahoma. But you do not have to contest the denial alone. Having an experienced life insurance lawyer handle your dispute is highly recommended so you can feel confident that everything is being done and that it is all done correctly.

Only the policyholder can legally change the beneficiary on a life insurance policy in Oklahoma. If you believe the beneficiary designation was changed by someone other than the policyholder, call us for help.

Yes, if you are supposed to be an irrevocable beneficiary or you are a beneficiary under a court order, and your spouse or ex-spouse changed their beneficiary designation to someone else. 

With a divorced or remarried policyholder, confusion may arise over who is entitled to be beneficiary. This is governed by state law and varies state-to-state. Our OK life insurance lawyers can explain what you’re entitled to as the policyholder’s spouse or former spouse.

First, you should know that policyholders can change the beneficiary designation at any time during the policy term, as long as they are of sound mind and not under duress when they make the change. 

This being said, if you suspect fraud, incapacity, or duress, you can contest the beneficiary designation. These cases are notoriously difficult to prove, so contact an experienced OK life insurance attorney for help.

If the primary beneficiary dies before the policyholder and the policyholder did not designate a secondary or contingent beneficiary, the benefits may pay to the policyholder’s estate and be subject to the claims of the policyholder’s creditors. For this reason, it is important for policyholders to keep their beneficiary designations up to date.

Absolutely not.. If you receive paperwork showing that the beneficiary changed after the policyholder’s death, it is probably fraudulent. Call us for help.

Because a minor cannot be the direct recipient of life insurance death benefits, the courts will usually choose a custodian to oversee the minor beneficiary’s death benefits. The problem with this is that nothing can really be done to stop the custodian from using the minor’s payout for their own purposes.

When a policyholder wants a minor to receive the death benefit, they should consider setting up a trust, designating the minor as the beneficiary of the trust, and appointing someone they can rely on to act as trustee, The trustee then administers the trust and acts as the minor’s fiduciary, meaning, in the minor’s best interests. 

We suggest hiring an estate planning attorney to help you understand the legalities of setting up a trust.